“SuperFan” of October: The Horn Guy

October Super Fan – “The Horn Guy” – Sam Wolk:

We’re excited to introduce our October “SuperFan”, Sam Wolk, AKA “The Horn Guy”. If you’re a Washington Capitals fan, you probably already know who the Horn Guy is. If you’ve been to a Caps game, then you 100% know who the Horn Guy is…because you’ve heard him! He plays the role of 6th man in Verizon Center to inspire Caps fans to get loud and support their team. What’s most interesting is he does it with a plastic toy to get fans to shout “Lets GO CAPS” in unison!

Check out the Q&A with The Horn Guy below & get to know this diehard Caps fan and why he became so faithful to rocking the Red!

How long have you been a Capitals fan?

Since my very first live hockey game on October 10, 1999. A friend got tickets from his boss for the club seats at MCI Center. The Caps beat the Ducks 1-0. I was an instant fan.

What made you become a Capitals fan?

My wife was a hockey fan as a young girl and attended Baltimore Skipjacks games with her father, so she’d already had a fondness for the game. When Ted Leonsis bought the Caps she liked what he had said he intended to do with the team. Also, she was enamoured with Olie Kolzig.

I’d never cared much for watching sports. I found it boring and tedious to sit through a baseball game, and football seemed to me to have too much down time between anything interesting. Then I saw hockey in person. I was hooked from the start; the speed, the gracefulness, the non-stop movement, the hitting, the passion of the players, the atmosphere in the building, just the entire breadth of the game made me a convert.

It didn’t take much convincing to get to go to more games. We attended a couple playoff games against the Pens that season. We had a 19-game season ticket plan for the 1999-2000 season, then became full season ticket holders from then on.

How important is the role of 6th man for fans, especially at a hockey game?

There is no dearth of comments from hockey players about how they like a loud building, especially when it’s their home crowd. They feed off the energy from the spectators, and the spectators in turn feed off a good performance. That cycle of energy is crucial to the success of the team. A team just won’t get as good a boost from a docile crowd. You have to have organic, natural crowd noise. Pumping up the decibel level artificially using a loud PA and blaring music is disingenuous and doesn’t solve the problem of a team who’s lacking in moral support. There’s no doubt in my mind that those guys on that sheet of ice will play better in front of a raucous fan base.

What’s your favorite part about being a “SuperFan”?

The Horn Guy with the Washington Capitals other SuperFan, “Goat”!

I began doing what I do because I felt that making more noise would contribute to the team’s success. It wasn’t about recognition or attention; that all came later as a matter of course. But I have to admit that I get some satisfaction from the power I wield over 18,000-plus people with a cheap, plastic toy! It’s gratifying to be able to get an entire arena of fans to shout in unison. I’m also very humbled by all the fans who tell me how much my presence enhances their enjoyment. It warms my heart that so many like what I do.

What’s your craziest story as being a “SuperFan”?

I always feel like I woke up in the Twilight Zone whenever someone asks me for an autograph! Really? You want me to sign your jersey/ticket/program? It’s neat but so weird. Heh!

Fanspeak.com was created by Steve and Megan Shoup, a brother and sister who are fanatical sports fans. They decided to take fate into their own hands and start a business venture revolving around their passion. They partnered with Digital Ink and developer Jason Unger, and the rest is history.